Heart of a Cherry Blossom
by LadyLuna78
Summary: Due to Bethany's LadyLuna78 passing, this story will not be updated anymore. Anyone who might want to try to continue it may see inside for contact information and details.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Martin the Warrior/Mossflower. If I did, Rose wouldn't have died in the first place. I do own Sakura and any other OC's that appear here.

Notes: I apologize in advance for any OOCness that occurs. Also, please forgive me if I mess up the way some of the characters speak, especially the moles.

Sakura means "Cherry blossom" in Japanese so that's where I got her name. This story has NOTHING to do with anime, unless you imagine it that way.

**A Cherry Blossom's Heart**

_By LadyLuna78_

_Chapter One – Wish upon a Star_

The air was crisp and cool. The stars shone brightly along side the crescent moon, giving life and light to the muted darkness of the night sky. The sound of trickling water from a nearby stream added to the blissful calm and serene beauty. It was a near perfect night. But he paid it no notice. He hardly ever noticed these things anymore. Not since she had been torn away from him three seasons ago.

Laterose…

Martin sighed and pulled his tattered cloak a bit tighter around himself as his he stared almost wistfully into the fire. He remembered her clearly. He sighed again and closed his eyes. Instantly he saw her. Her delicate features, her soft hazel eyes shimmering, her amazing voice that sounded like the gentlest summer breeze flooded his mind and he dropped into a familiar state of calmness. But it was short-lived as the horrible image of her death at the paws of Badrang came back. The way her body had fallen like that of a rag doll's after being thrown against the wall. It was, as it had been each time before, too much to bear. His eyes flew open, and the image dissolved away into nothing.

Overcome with a wave of fresh guilt he placed his head in his paws and allowed a few tears to escape his eyes. They rolled down his whiskers and plopped harmlessly onto the ground. It was his fault that those horrible events had come to pass. He should have been more careful. He should have made Rose stay at Noonvale. But he didn't, and now she was gone to the Dark Forest forever.

A sudden rustling in the bushes caused him to snap up instantly. His paw instinctively flew to his sword and he took a fighting stance.

"Who's there?" he demanded. "If you mean to cause trouble, then I swear I shall slay you where you stand." His voice had dropped to a deadly tone. An plump grey hedgehog stumbled out of the bushes waving a walking stick frantically.

"Whoa there! I mean ye no harm! I'm just lookin' fer a place to rest my weary old bones!" he said quickly. Martin sheathed his sword and looked apologetically at the hedgehog.

"I'm sorry for startling you, friend. But one can never be too careful in these woods. Come, you may rest in front of the fire as long as you wish." The old beast hobbled over to the fire and sat down with a sigh.

"Thank ye kindly. So you're a warrior, eh? Yes, I could tell just by lookin' at ye. You've got that light in yer eyes. True fightin' spirit. Ah! I'm here ramblin' my head right off and I don't even know ye name! I'm Banjer. What be your name?" Martin had simply watched the old one with dumb amazement that a creature could say so much in one breath. He blinked himself out of his reverie and responded.

"I am Martin the warrior. Nice to meet you Banjer." He shook paws with the hedgehog.

Banjer nodded and smiled warmly. "Nice to meet ye too Martin." He gazed up at the stars, "'Tis a beautiful night." Martin gloomily turned his gaze back to the fire.

"Yes. Yes it is." He agreed absently. Banjer looked over at Martin, his expression fading into seriousness.

"There be somethin' on yer mind, eh? Would ye like to tell me about it?" he asked gently. Martin thought back to his promise. He would never tell anyone of Noonvale, lest he unknowingly sent vermin or other troublesome creatures there. But then again, he thought. Banjer did not seem the type to send vermin to conquer a village. He almost laughed aloud at the image of it. And so, Martin told his story to Banjer. Banjer shook his head sadly.

"I'm awful sorry ye had to go through that. 'Tis a shame when a young life like Rose's is cut short. I take it ye'd do just about anythin' to get her back." Martin glanced at Banjer.

"You can count on that. I love her more than anything. But she's gone now and she can't come back no matter how much I wish it to be so." Martin replied sadly. Banjer looked up sharply.

"Now what makes ye so sure of that? How do ye know that she really can't come back?" Martin looked at him like he was loony.

"Creatures can't come back from the dead!"

"Oh I wouldn't be too sure about that. I bet that with just the right amount of wishin' and hope, she'd come back one day." Banjer gazed up at the stars once more as he said this, his eyes holding the slightest twinkle. He stood up with the aid of his stick and nodded his spiked head at Martin. "Well, must be off. Reckon I should have been home to the missus a while back. Yer welcome to come and stay a day or two if ye like." Martin shook his head sadly.

"Thank you, I'm afraid I can't come with you Banjer. I still have much more to do before I can even begin to rest. I can feel it." Banjer smiled understandingly.

"Well if that be the case, then I suppose I can't be stoppin' ye. Faith and good fortune be with ye, Martin the Warrior." With a final nod, he made his way back through the forest, leaving an oddly curious Marin behind. For some reason, the young warrior could not explain the look that had shone in Banjer's eyes when he had spoken about wishing for Rose's return. It was as if Banjer knew something he did not. He yawned abruptly and became aware of how late it probably was. Overcome with exhaustion, he laid his father's sword next to him as he let the welcome darkness begin to envelope him. The last thing he saw was a single shooting star.

"Please bring my Rose back to me." He whispered before falling into a fitful sleep.

_

* * *

Smoke choked her lungs and stung her eyes. She was covered in dust and all she could hear around her were cries of anguish and death. She had no idea where she was or if she was even still sleeping. She wanted to escape. Running blindly, she came to a small clearing in the dense smoke and let out a terrified squeak. Wait a moment… squeak? She looked down at herself and gasped. She was a mouse! Her thoughts were cut short however as she heard a shout from behind her. A large rat covered in various tattoos and piercing was charging straight for her wielding a blade. Her body seemed to move of its own accord and backed against the remains of a wall. The rat then advanced more slowly and began talking._

"_Well, ain't you jus' the prettiest 'ittle mouseymaid? Maybe Badrang will let me keep yer as a pet." He chuckled darkly and was nearly upon her when he was knocked flat by… A mole with a ladle?_

"_Take that ye gurt varmint! Coom on, Miz Rose! We'm needs t' 'elp Marthen!" He said urgently, grabbing her paw and leading her through the pandemonium. Martin… That name felt so familiar to her. Her mouth moved this time._

"_Grumm!" her voice sounded so foreign, "Do you see him?" her voice was barely audible over the sounds of the battle. An unknown feeling of dread began to wash over her. Why did she care so much about what happened to this Martin fellow? Then she heard a voice from above her._

"_Badraaaang! I am here!" she did not have time to look for the source of the voice for she and Grumm were suddenly face to face, er, snout to snout with a large and vicious looking weasel. Grumm confronted him, brandishing his ladle. The weasel roared and knocked Grumm unconscious as his own ladle smacked against his head. A great wave of anger washed over her for her fallen friend. She leaped at the weasel, striking him three times with her sling. Before she could deal him a final blow however, he picked her up savagely and threw her against the wall. Her head ricocheted against the stone and she fell into darkness… _

_Now she was floating. Strange images rushed through her mind. They were all of her friends and family: Grumm, Pallum, Boldred, Polleekin, her father Urran Voh, and her mother Aryah. But something didn't add up! She was certain she had never met let alone spoken to any of these creatures before and yet she knew them so well. One final image whisked in front her eyes for a second before materializing into a mouse. He was young, but looked strong and his grey eyes were those of a warrior. He seemed to be reaching out to her._

"_Please come back to me, Rose." He whispered sadly before his image faded completely. Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes and she fell to her knees sobbing pitifully. She softly whispered a single name._

"_Martin!..."_

Sakura shot up in her bed screaming before throwing off her covers. No fur, no paws, nothing out of the ordinary. It had all been a dream. The image of that mouse was burned into her mind. The overwhelming sadness in his eyes had been too much for her. How was it that he was even able to show such emotion? Animals weren't supposed to feel intense emotions, fight with swords and other weapons, talk, or do any of those other things that those creatures had done.

She reached over and grabbed her alarm clock with a shaking hand. Five thirty flashed across the digital display in bright red numbers. This is stupid, she thought. I'll just go downstairs, get a glass of water, and resolve to never again eat doughnuts before bed. With a tired sigh, she heaved herself out of her bed and fumbled through the dark for the light switch. Her fingers finally brushed against the cool plastic switch and she flipped it, flooding the room with a bright light. Blinking a few times, she shuffled out into the hallway and towards the stairs. She was almost there when her mother's cheery voice rang out.

"Oh good! You actually got up for school this morning without being dragged out of bed!" Sakura smacked her forehead with a groan. How anyone could be so happy before the sun was even up was beyond her. When she tried one morning, all she got was a headache.

About thirty minutes later, she came down the stairs after her usual morning shower and grabbed some leftover pizza and a fruit juice. Ah, the breakfast of champs. Finishing her 'breakfast', she decided to throw on her shoes and leave for school a bit early. "I'm leaving!" she called, and then walked out the front door. She noticed that it was still pretty dark outside, but kept going. Nothing ever happened in her hometown, so she didn't feel the need to be worried.

She moaned in frustration as she came up on the intersection she always had to cross to get to the school. She hated this particular intersection because it involved five lanes of traffic and an out of service crosswalk. That meant walking when your gut instinct told you to and praying no one turned you into road kill. She glanced down both directions and deemed the path clear. She began her quick walk across the black road.

She whipped around when she heard screeching tires and the blast of a car horn. The car slammed into her full force and sent her flying back before she rolled to a stop fifteen feet away. As she felt her life ebbing away, she heard Martin's voice once again.

"Please bring my Rose back to me."

Up in the fading night sky a shooting star streaked across the heavens.


	2. Bethany's passing and story continuation

Hello. In case you are wondering, I am not LadyLuna78. My name is Nicole and I was a very close friend of Bethany's (LL78). I am here to briefly deliver some tragic news.

Bethany was diagnosed with chronic leukemia when she was 10. She had chemotherapy performed as well as some radiation treatments to fight off the disease. All seemed to be going well until recently.

About a week ago her condition began to suddenly worsen for still unknown reasons. She was admitted to the hospital shortly after where she stayed as she continued to slowly get weaker. Then, late Monday night Bethany passed away.

This sudden turn of events has shaken everyone who knew her. I do not know how well anyone on this site knew her, but I am here to say that for obvious reasons this story and her other stories will not be continued on this account. Even though we shared this account, I only read fan fictions and used this account as a bookmark for my favorite stories. I never wrote any (this is why I didn't include myself in the profile) and I'm afraid to try and continue any of her stories for fear of ruining them.

Bethany and I were talking a few days before she died. She asked me to write a note to you guys sending her deep apologies that the story was never continued like she wanted it to be. She even said that posting a chapter was one of the first things she would've done when released from the hospital. Letting people down, even on the internet was something she hated the most.

So with all of this being said I come to you with an offer that I know Bethany would make herself if she could.

If anyone would like to continue this story, you may do so. However to prevent the chance of multiple people trying to do the exact same story, I ask you to contact me at:

Zim(underscore)rox(underscore)mah(underscore)sox(at)yahoo(dot)com

With a subject line of: Continuation of story: HoACB

The first one to contact me will get to continue the story. I only ask that you please give credit to Bethany for the initial idea of the story.

_In loving memory of LadyLuna78 (Bethany)_

_1/18 1990 - 6/20 2005_


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